Death and Coping
by Garfakcy-chan
Summary: Dren and Sardon are dead and Tarb doesn't know how to handle it. On a trip to Earth he meets someone who may be able to help him. Originally, I was using the Japanese names so don’t be surprised if I accidentally kept a Kish, Pai, or Tart in there.
1. Chapter 1

Tarb stood in front of two graves. They read:

_Dren _

_Died age 14_

_Son, sibling, friend._

_Sardon_

_Died age 19_

_Son, scholar, friend._

Tarb held back another wave of tears. It had been a month since Deep Blue's defeat. Sardon and Dren had sacrificed themselves after the mew aqua brought them back when Masaya's efforts failed.

The cold wind picked up. He gripped himself. A simple red long-sleeved shirt and black pants weren't very good for the middle of November. He fingered the black stud earrings. Elliot had made them to hide his ears. He shivered again.

"Huh?" He looked up when he suddenly felt something warm cover his shoulders. A man stood just behind him smiling. He had dark blond hair that fell to his mid back pulled into a ponytail and brown eyes covered with half moon glasses.

"Shouldn't you be in school? Not playing hooky, are you?" He asked, smiling. Tarb raised an eyebrow. What the heck was hooky? A human sport?

"I…I was just visiting my friends." He managed to say. The man turned to look out over the graveyard. "As was I, but aren't you supposed to be in school right now?"

Tarb shook his head. "I don't go to school." The man looked confused. "Are you home schooled by your parents?" Tarb shook his head again. "I don't have any parents. I live at an orphanage, but I hate it there!" Tarb nearly yelled, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm sure having your friends there made it better."

"Nuh uh. Sardon was old enough to take care of me so I didn't have to live there." The man nodded. "I'm going to see my friends. Why don't you come with me?" He said as he started to walk off. Tarb thought for a second, before following. The man headed to the edge of a cliff that over looked the ocean. Four graves were set along the ridge about a foot away from the edge.

"Are these your friends?" Tarb asked. The man nodded. "Car accident." His smile disappeared. "I just wish I could have done something." He said quietly. Tarb looked down as he remembered the scene.

FLASHBACK

"_Dren! Sardon! Don't!" Tarb yelled. He ran at them, trying to get them to stop. They two in question turned to their younger friend. "Sorry Tarb." They said before each raising a hand. Tarb gasped before falling to the ground, unconscious. _

_When he woke up he found his only friends and family dead._

END FLASHBACK

Tarb fought back tears again. The man saw, but pretended not to notice. He checked his watch. "I should go. It was nice talking to you." He said turning and starting to walk away.

"Wait! You forgot your-!" Tarb started to remove the coat that had been placed around his shoulders but was cut off.

"Keep it. I have others." He said over his shoulder.

Tarb watched him go the realized something. "My name's Tarb!" He called. The man turned around. "I'm Kidai Yukimura."

Tarb walked around the graveyard. For the last month the orphanage had kept a very close watch on him, but he had finally been able to sneak away and teleport to Earth. He stopped when he reached Dren and Sardon's headstones. _'Why did you guys have to leave me? I'm all alone now…'_

"I haven't seen you here in a while."

Tarb turned to see Kidai standing there. "Kidai-san!"

Kidai ruffled Tart's hair. "Where have you been?"

"The people at the orphanage wouldn't let me come." Tarb said. He hated them.

"Well, it would be hard to keep an eye on you from another planet." Tarb gasped.

"Y…you know?"

Kidai nodded. "I saw you when you attacked the beach (Ep. 19). Unlike most people, I'm not fooled just because your ears look different. I also have good guess as to who the Mew Mews are."

Tarb was slightly shocked. He knew? About him and the Mew Mews?

"You're not from Earth, so you probably don't know what today is." Tarb shook his head. "It's Christmas eve." Tart cocked his head to one side.

"What's Christmas?" He asked. Kidai smiled.

"It's when families get together and exchange gifts or just be together." He explained.

"Oh. Kidai-san, do you-?"

"Tarb! I thought we forbade you from coming here!" Tarb spun around and saw a woman with the same ears as him running towards them. She had blond hair that reached her shoulders, green eyes and abnormally pale skin. She was wearing a blue sweater and a long orange skirt with brown heeled boots. She stopped in front of them panting.

"Maria-san!" Tarb said in surprise. Maria looked up. "Tarb, you know you aren't allowed on Earth by yourself!" She reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"I'm not a baby! I don't need anyone's help! I don't!" Tarb yelled. He pulled away from her and took off. He could hear her screaming after him. H ran until he couldn't hear her anymore.

Maria started to run after him, but Kidai stopped her. She looked at him, confused.

"Let him be. He just needs some time." He said. She sighed and nodded. He walked her over to a bench, so she could catch her breath from her previous run. They sat down.

"Miss, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something…"

Tarb walked angrily down the snow covered path. "Why does everyone treat me like I'm some little kid?! I'm not! I can take of myself!" He stopped. "That's exactly what I said five years ago. Before I met Dren and Sardon. I'm back to where I was before."

Dren and Sardon had been chosen at young ages for the mission to Earth and had been left to find a third member. Tarb's parents had died a month before and he had closed himself off to everyone. Dren and Sardon had broken through that. Surprise, surprise, Dren had been the first.

"Tarb? Are you okay?" He turned around to see Maria standing there with a concerned look on her face. He nodded slowly. She smiled. "That's good. We better get going." She started to walk and he hesitantly followed. They reached the road where a red car was parked. Maria worked as a part-time researcher on Earth so they could continue to improve their planet. She got in the front and Tarb took a seat in the back. He sighed. Now she would take him to her house where she would use the teleporter to send him back to the orphanage.

She drove for a while then stopped in front of a white house with a brick fence around it (like around Zoey's house). Tarb looked out of the window, confused. This wasn't Maria's house.

Maria stepped out of the car and took something out of the trunk. "Come on, now." She called. Tarb slowly got out of the car. They walked up to the house and Maria rang the doorbell. Tarb was even more confused when Kidai answered the door.

"That was fast. Did you tell him?" He asked, noting Tarb's confused look. Maria shook her head. She turned to Tarb and bent to his level.

"Tarb, Mr. Yukimura here has adopted you. You'll be living here from now on." She said smiling. Tarb was shocked and stood there, processing the information. After a few moments he smiled and hugged Kidai. Kidai laughed. He took the thing that Maria had gotten from her trunk, a suitcase, from her and headed inside with Tarb.

3 years later…

A thirteen-year-old Tarb darted down the stairs in his school uniform, a black version of what Mark wore. He shot towards the door, Kidai handing him his lunch on the way out.

"Bye Kidai-san!"

He strapped on the dark green rollerblades with purple laces he had gotten from Kiki as a twelfth birthday present. He left the gate and shot off down the sidewalk, yelling a good-bye.

"Come on!" Kiki called from the corner. She had her own yellow rollerblades and was in a black version of Zoey's school uniform. They hurried off towards the school. Two figures watched the pair from the top of a building.

"I'd say he's doing well. What about you, Sardon?" Dren asked. Sardon nodded.

"I have to admit I was a little worried, but he's doing fine." The two spread their white, feathered wings and flew back to the heavens.

Anyone notice the colors I made the roller blades?

think Sakura's dad from Cardcaptor Sakura.


	2. Oops!

I'm sorry! I just realized I didn't put a disclaimer for this fic, so here it is now! Please don't report me!

Disclaimer: I don't own the anime/manga Tokyo Mew Mew or its characters.


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